Wallenda to perform high-wire act at St. Armands Circle
HERALD-TRIBUNE ARCHIVE / 2010 / THOMAS BENDER Nik Wallenda kneeling on the cable for the second time at the halfway point some 200 feet high Feb.4 as he walked from the One Watergate Condominium to the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in downtown Sarasota.
By Billy CoxPublished: Wednesday, August 11, 2010
SARASOTA - High-wire daredevil Nik Wallenda, whose 200-foot skywalk in February left Sarasota spectators breathless, is ready to stage another public spectacle next week.But don't expect a repeat of the 600-foot suspension cable adventure that took him from the Watergate condos to the Ritz-Carlton last winter.
This time, on the evening of Aug. 20, the Sarasota resident and his wife Erendira will attempt a swaypole act in St. Armands Circle at a still bone-sloshing height of 75 feet. From a cable stretching 25 feet between a pair of flagpoles in Circle Park, the performance artists hope to complete a series of mid-air maneuvers that includes handstands and an exchange of positions.The occasion is a Discovery Channel documentary production, which will follow the couple to The Bahamas two days later. That's where Wallenda intends to break his own world record for highest bicycle ride, at Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island.
“I plan to ride between the two towers at 270 feet up,” Wallenda says. “That will more than double my previous height.”
He also hopes to complete a record-setting skywalk — 2,000 feet across — during his stay at Atlantis.
The 31-year-old heir to the legendary circus dynasty says the Discovery Channel is producing a pilot for an ongoing series about Wallenda's showmanship.
“It's really exciting,” he says. “I've got 14 stunts planned that I can't even talk about because they're so crazy. And it's not per se a reality show. I'd say about 50 to 60 percent of it goes into the science behind what we do.”
The Aug. 20 public performance begins at 6 p.m. and will likely last several hours to accommodate the shooting schedule. Afterwards, Wallenda will sign posters for anyone donating to All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg.
This time, on the evening of Aug. 20, the Sarasota resident and his wife Erendira will attempt a swaypole act in St. Armands Circle at a still bone-sloshing height of 75 feet. From a cable stretching 25 feet between a pair of flagpoles in Circle Park, the performance artists hope to complete a series of mid-air maneuvers that includes handstands and an exchange of positions.The occasion is a Discovery Channel documentary production, which will follow the couple to The Bahamas two days later. That's where Wallenda intends to break his own world record for highest bicycle ride, at Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island.
“I plan to ride between the two towers at 270 feet up,” Wallenda says. “That will more than double my previous height.”
He also hopes to complete a record-setting skywalk — 2,000 feet across — during his stay at Atlantis.
The 31-year-old heir to the legendary circus dynasty says the Discovery Channel is producing a pilot for an ongoing series about Wallenda's showmanship.
“It's really exciting,” he says. “I've got 14 stunts planned that I can't even talk about because they're so crazy. And it's not per se a reality show. I'd say about 50 to 60 percent of it goes into the science behind what we do.”
The Aug. 20 public performance begins at 6 p.m. and will likely last several hours to accommodate the shooting schedule. Afterwards, Wallenda will sign posters for anyone donating to All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg.
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